The first fish to be brought indoors was done so by the Romans, who kept these fish in small tanks made of marble. With the introduction of glass and porcelain the modern fish bowl was created. Over time tanks for housing and maintaining tropical fish, aquatic plants, and other aquatic life were introduced making keeping fish in an aquarium a popular hobby. Improvements in aquariums and the increased availability of electricity for lighting, aeration, filtration, and heating of the water have led to an estimated sixty million aquarists worldwide, making aquarium keeping the second most popular hobby after stamp collecting in the United States.
While keeping fish can be rewarding and relaxing, maintaining the aquarium can be a daunting task, requiring the aquarist to regularly clean and maintain the tank for the health and benefit of the fish. One (1) important facet of this care is the filtration system, which operates to reduce or remove contaminants and to improve oxygenation of the water. Various filtration systems are commonly used to remove the waste from excrement and respiration of the fish. These systems include biological, mechanical, and chemical filtration or some combination to manage the nitrogen cycle of the aquarium and remove particular material from the water. Regardless of the type of filter that is used, all filters require regular maintenance. This maintenance includes not only filter maintenance, but often an entire emptying of the tank for a thorough cleaning. The tank cleaning is often required because even the best filtration system cannot remove all contaminants over time, and these contaminants build up and cause a hazardous environmental condition for the fish.
The prior art includes various examples of aquarium filtration systems which can be seen by example in several U.S. Patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,101, issued in the name of Katz, describes a filtration and circulation system and apparatus to purify aquatic media and maintain the aquatic specimens having biological and mechanical filtration and algae propagation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,315, issued in the name of Senape, describes an aquarium water aeration and filtering system to sustain aquatic species having a suction pump and a non-submerged column of filtering layers, where the water drip filters until degasification is complete.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,795, issued in the name of Adey, describes a water purification system and apparatus having an algal turf scrubber screen and a rotating water receptacle which removes carbon dioxide and dissolves pollutants.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,673, issued in the name of Ludlow, describes a top mounted biological filtration system for an aquarium having a wet/dry filter system that mounts to the open top portion of an aquarium.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,709, issued in the name of Bresolin, describes a filtering device for aquariums having a casing that hangs on the outside of an aquarium with at least one filtering mass, a pump, and a water return.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,677, issued in the name of Chen et al., describes a multi-functional cleaning and filtering system for aquarium tank having an inlet water controller, a suction unit, and a filter container.
While these examples fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each suffers from one or more disadvantages or deficiencies. Problems with the clogging of the filtering media and water supply continue to occur which can lead to difficulty in maintaining proper water conditions. Additionally the flow, rate of the various examples may not effectively maintain desired water conditions which can lead to the accumulation of algae and other contaminants. Furthermore, complex devices with multiple components tend to have higher rates of malfunction and still require regular full tank cleanings.
Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which aquariums for holding or displaying fish can be kept cleaner at all times without the need for regular and continuous maintenance. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.